TARC introduces mobility and trip planning app

TARC introduced a mobility app and dynamic trip planner on Monday to help riders plan trips across multiple modes of transportation with the goal of finding the “fastest, cheapest, greenest options.”

ZED Digital partnered with TARC to power the app over its Mobility as a Service platform, according to TARC. Rideshare partners include Uber, Lyft, Louvelo Bikeshare and Bird Scooter, it said.

Ferdinand Risco Jr., the executive director of TARC, said: “We’re excited to launch Mobility as a Service. What is Mobility as a Service? It is a seamless platform for planning and paying for your trip end to end from Point A to Point B, all in one place.”

Here’s how it works. The user downloads the app and picks a destination. The results page shows travel options, including fees and the estimated destination time for each service. Say on a particular trip, speed is of the essence. If a user then picks Lyft or Uber, she will be prompted to create an account if she hasn’t done so already to complete the trip.

TARC encouraged residents to use its app to find out alternative transportation options other than driving a car to see how they can be effective in eliminating traffic. “Even one day a week helps!” TARC said.

In a live-streamed news conference, Sumithra Jagannath, president of ZED Digital, said the app would allow people to compare trip timing as well as costs. The app includes information about events, activities, landmarks and tourism.

“It’s a one-stop shop for people to get around Louisville,” said Jagannath, who also noted that “it’s the first tool of its kind to show combination trips of transit options with rideshares” as a substitute for long walks.

Jagannath speculated that the app would help to reduce congestion and increase ridership for TARC.

Mayor Greg Fischer said, “This announcement, the first of its kind in the country, is going to add a lot of efficiency to travelers and get them to view mobility in a comprehensive systemic way that I think is going to be a real boon to our city.”